It was almost midnight. I was the only one who had the jitters, apparently. The rest came across as seasoned bin-raiders. About a dozen of us had gathered in the doorway of a block of flats, and were now forming an orderly queue. As far as I could make out, it worked on a first-come-first-served basis.

Natalia, my newly acquainted French buddy—and ad hoc freegan coach—was briefing me on how things were going to play out once the clock struck 12: there was an unspoken agreement between the supermarket manager and the hopeful crew of free spirits.

Despite the outward respect shown betwen fellow freegans, it was clear that everyone wanted to get first dibs on the ‘gems’: high cost items that were safe to eat, such as cheese, cold meats and tins of beans and pork stew.

Being a freegan isn’t just about rummaging in skips and nocturnal covert operations, though. It also encompasses foraging in the countryside, growing your own veg, recycling, and generally minimising your participation in the consumer economy. And money isn’t the always the chief reason: for some it’s a lifestyle choice.

A friend of mine recently admitted that, out having tapas one night, he had seen a full plate of iberian ham being taken to the kitchen to be binned, but was too embarrassed to touch it. It takes balls to ask the restaurant staff or customers themselves for their left-overs. I have the utmost respect for these heroes. What's more, the savings are huge. In a single exploration, it’s not uncommon to take away over $100 worth of bounty.

Besides our general reluctance to look foolish, we are under the impression it may be wrong or illegal. The act of taking the food isn’t itself illegal, provided it isn’t on private property: trespassing can land you in trouble with the business owners.

Cases of skip divers being charged have come out in the media; however, the charges are usually dropped further down the line—probably because it would backfire on the business and prove to be a publicity disaster.

Another factor that comes into play is that freegans tend to keep it to themselves, not wanting to spill the beans on the most fruitful happy hunting grounds; the more people who find out about it, the less out-of-date smoked salmon they will be able to plunder. So it remains something of an urban legend: we know someone who knows someone that does it.

As a youngster I, and every single other soul in the village, did a stint at the local CO-OP supermarket. I distinctly remember loading the ‘crushing bay’ with all the out-of-date food. I shovelled in stacks of doughnuts, crisps, chocolate bars… you name it, without batting an eyelid. The manager’s argument seemed solid: “If we don’t destroy it, then everyone will wait for it to go out of date and get it free”.

Nowadays, I can no longer turn a blind eye. I encourage you all to try it, if only as a one-off. We can all do our bit to reduce the needless squandering of food. Look up your local freegan group online, and join in the pursuit of left-overs and the ingredients for one-pot scrap meals.

It was almost midnight. I was the only one who had the jitters, apparently. The rest came across as seasoned bin-raiders. About a dozen of us had gathered in the doorway of a block of flats, and were now forming an orderly queue. As far as I could make out, it worked on a first-come-first-served basis.

Natalia, my newly acquainted French buddy—and ad hoc freegan coach—was briefing me on how things were going to play out once the clock struck 12: there was an unspoken agreement between the supermarket manager and the hopeful crew of free spirits.

Despite the outward respect shown between fellow freegans, it was clear that everyone wanted to get first dibs on the ‘gems’: high cost items that were safe to eat, such as cheese, cold meats and tins of beans and pork stew.

Being a freegan isn’t just about rummaging in skips and nocturnal covert operations, though. It also encompasses foraging in the countryside, growing your own veg, recycling, and generally minimising your participation in the consumer economy. And money isn’t the always the chief reason: for some it’s a lifestyle choice.

A friend of mine recently admitted that, out having tapas one night, he had seen a full plate of iberian ham being taken to the kitchen to be binned, but was too embarrassed to touch it. It takes balls to ask the restaurant staff or customers themselves for their left-overs. I have the utmost respect for these heroes. What's more, the savings are huge. In a single exploration, it’s not uncommon to take away over $100 worth of bounty.

Besides our general reluctance to look foolish, we are under the impression it may be wrong or illegal. The act of taking the food isn’t itself illegal, provided it isn’t on private property: trespassing can land you in trouble with the business owners.

Cases of skip divers being charged have come out in the media; however, the charges are usually dropped further down the line—probably because it would backfire on the business and prove to be a publicity disaster.

Another factor that comes into play is that freegans tend to keep it to themselves, not wanting to spill the beans on the most fruitful happy hunting grounds; the more people who find out about it, the less out-of-date smoked salmon they will be able to plunder. So it remains something of an urban legend: we know someone who knows someone that does it.

As a youngster I, and every single other soul in the village, did a stint at the local CO-OP supermarket. I distinctly remember loading the ‘crushing bay’ with all the out-of-date food. I shovelled in stacks of doughnuts, crisps, chocolate bars… you name it, without batting an eyelid. The manager’s argument seemed solid: “If we don’t destroy it, then everyone will wait for it to go out of date and get it free”.

Nowadays, I can no longer turn a blind eye. I encourage you all to try it, if only as a one-off. We can all do our bit to reduce the needless squandering of food. Look up your local freegan group online, and join in the pursuit of left-overs and the ingredients for one-pot scrap meals.